Short on time last week and with or usual main counter magazine display stand in use elsewhere in the newsagency, we took the lazy approach and moved an old mini ACP Cookbooks stand to the spot next to the counter.
That was six days ago. A check of sales data today shows that the lazy move was good for the cookbooks. Of course it was! Location, location, location.
Yes, sales are up. On Friday and Saturday I saw the stand work first-hand. On each day, a customer came to the counter with greeting cards and while being served, reached across and bought a mini cookbook. The sales kick we have achieved by moving the stand is greater than if we had done a pretty aisle end display.
Even though the stand is an ancient relic and is usually banished to the back of the shop, in the right place it works. I’d say this is primarily because customers can see the full cover of each book. Sure having the product in front of people is important as well.
Our commitment is to change our various counter upsell offers every week. This space next to the main register is proving to be very successful for magazines – clearly no matter how old or ugly the stand itself. So, we’ll keep at it, moving magazines around, creating subject related featured which underscore our depth of range.